TravelMole’s McKenzie steps into the Time Machine
Then… and now
In this week's Time Traveller, sponsored by Harp Wallen, TravelMole managing director Graham McKenzie takes a trip down memory lane…
What was your first job in travel?
When I was 19 I had a holiday job at Gatwick Airport. My job was to clear the tables of the mess left by the travellers. This was in the days when Gatwick only had one terminal and all the passengers came into a massive canteen type restaurant area. It was also in the days before smoking was banned and many people used to stub their cigarettes out in the leftover food. I was left to clear it up!!! Gag me……literally, I lasted one and half days. I progressed to Fortes in-flight catering on the Crawley industrial estate where I had to load the mineral trays for the aircraft to a set formula of tonics, cokes, bitter lemons etc. I also had to unload the incoming trays and sometimes when you opened the metal storage units masses of insects would fly out. Gag me …..
What was the high point of your career?
Well I have only been in full time travel for about six years and therefore I hope that my high point is still to come. I have taken great satisfaction and enjoyment in applying much of the experience I learnt outside of travel and using that primarily to grow and establish TravelMole as a force in online travel news around the world. Needless to say the ability to travel and the privilege of staying in some stunning places around the world has been absolutely fantastic. Like most walks of life, however, the highlight would have to be the friends I have made and the relationships established.
What was the low point?
To be honest within travel I have, so far, had very few low points. I still feel like a new kid on the block and therefore everything is interesting and challenging. The lowest point so far is losing the RAC golf challenge. I played crap.
What's your biggest regret?
I often think my regret is not getting into travel earlier in my career but maybe if I had of done I would not have enjoyed it as much as I have so far.
What would you be doing now if you weren't in travel?
Well people are always saying I look like Eric Clapton or Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd and I sing like an Angel so I am certain that a career in show business/modelling would have been my calling.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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